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Indian Air Force to participate in multi-nation exercise in Alaska

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, June 23, IRNA -- Indian Government has cleared the 
participation of an Indian Air Force contingent in a multi-nation 
exercise hosted by the United States at its military flight training 
range in Alaska. 
According to the Hindu, a New Delhi-based English daily, the IAF`s
first-ever participation in an international exercise outside the 
Indian subcontinent was planned early this year. The United 
Progressive Alliance Government has concurred with the reasoning of 
the previous National Democratic Alliance Government that such 
exercises have "tremendous training value" for the armed forces. 
The "Exercise Cooperative Cope Thunder" from July 5 to 30 comes 
at an uplifting moment for the IAF. Attention has shifted from MiG 
crashes to the poor showing by the U.S. Air Force during mock battles 
with IAF fighters at Gwalior in February this year. 
Details of the engagement are still classified but the world 
fighter pilot community is agog with the news of "poor showing" by 
U.S. F-15 C fighters during "dissimilar air combat training" with 
IAF`s Sukhoi-30 MK. 
Air Force officers said the U.S. trained pilots in Sukhoi 
fighters usually defeated pilots in F-15s and F-16s. 
The exercise showed that the U.S. had also lost the edge in 
training and equipment. A global aviation journal had quoted a senior 
USAF official in charge of training as saying that the exercises 
"certainly has us take a step back." 
This time, IAF is taking six British Jaguar fighters along with 
two new air-to-air refuellers and an equal number of medium transport 
aircraft. IAF-owned air-to-air refuellers would be deployed for the 
first time in international air space to service its fighter aircraft.
More than the deployment of 10 aircraft and a large contingent - 
200 service personnel - in far-off Alaska, the permission to go ahead 
is vital since it signals the present Government`s desire to continue 
with previously drawn up plans for U.S.-led joint practices. 
The exercise has been billed as a collaborative effort between 
"friendly" air forces. But since its start during the height of the 
Cold War in 1976, it has been a U.S. dominated effort intended to 
sharpen the combat edge of its pilots in association with "friendly" 
air forces. 
The current edition of "Cope Thunder 04-01" marks India`s entry 
to a slowly widening group of countries. Last year, Japanese F-15Js 
fighters were sent to Alaska for the first time for the exercise. 
Apart from hosts U.S., the other participants include Canada, 
Germany, Sri Lanka, Japan and Malaysia. 
The air force contingents from 10 countries will be divided 
into "Red" - the defensive - and "Blue" - the offensive forces. 
"White" forces will be the neutral controlling agency. The "Red" 
force will include ground-control intercept and surface-to-air 
defence forces to simulate threats posed by potentially hostile 
nations. 
2160/2321/1432